Brighton & Hove City Council

Budget Council                                              Agenda Item 79

Date of meeting 27 February 2025

GENERAL FUND REVENUE BUDGET, CAPITAL

& TREASURY MANAGEMENT STRATEGY 2025/26

Conservative Group Amendment 1

It is proposed to:

· Reverse the planned cut to the Libraries Home Delivery Service of £0.027m and reduce the saving in Community, Jubilee and Hove Libraries by £0.053m as shown on page 46, Appendix 2 (Agenda Item 79).

This proposal requires funding of £0.080m. It is proposed to fund this by:

· Removing the Advisor-Led Anti-Racism Strategy funding under the Education & Learning division of the Families, Children & Wellbeing Directorate totalling £0.080m.

Chief Finance Officer Comments:

The current service provided under the Advisor-Led Anti-Racism Strategy includes directly employed staff and requires a consultation period and notice and so the saving could not be realised until July 2025.  The full year impact of ending this service is £0.107m.

Conservative Group Amendment 2

It is proposed to:

· Reduce the £0.090m planned cut to the unauthorised encampment team shown on page 46, Appendix 2 (Agenda Item 79) by £0.066m to £0.024m.

This proposal requires funding of £0.066m. It is proposed to fund this by:

· Reducing the Union Facility Time budget by £0.066m.

Chief Finance Officer Comments:

Any reduction in union facilities time requires a consultation period and notice and therefore would not deliver savings until July 2025. There are currently 3.5 fte posts funded each for Unison and GMB.  To realise the £0.066m saving would require a reduction of 1.5 fte (0.75 fte each for each union). The full year impact of this reduction would be £0.088m.

Conservative Group Amendment 3

It is proposed to:

· Reverse the planned cuts of £0.040m to Youth Led Grants shown on page 51, Appendix 2 (Agenda Item 79).

· Reverse the planned cuts of £0.015m to the warm homes strategy on page 53, Appendix 2 (Agenda Item 79).

· Reverse the planned cut of £0.015m to the Family Hub in Hollingbury & Patcham on page 50, Appendix 2 (Agenda Item 79).

This proposal requires funding of £0.070m. It is proposed to fund this by:

· Reducing the £0.200m investment in the school-based counselling service within the Education & Learning division of the Families, Children & Wellbeing Directorate by £0.070m.

Chief Finance Officer Comments:

The council currently invests £0.200m in the schools-based counselling service and is contractually committed to this expenditure until the end of August 2025. A reduction of £0.070m would take effect from September 2025 and reduce the remaining resources for the financial year at that time from £0.116m to £0.046m.

Conservative Group Amendment 4

It is proposed to:

· Reverse the planned cuts to the Highways Operations Team of £0.050m shown on page 61, Appendix 2 (Agenda Item 79).

This proposal requires funding of £0.050m. It is proposed to fund this by:

· Reducing the Union Facility Time budget by £0.022m.

· Repurposing the additional risk provision of £0.028m created as part of the funding announced within the final local government finance settlement as shown on page 436 (Agenda Item 80).

Chief Finance Officer Comments:

Any reduction in union facilities time requires a consultation period and notice and therefore would not deliver savings until July 2025. There are currently 3.5 fte posts funded each for Unison and GMB.  To realise the £0.22m saving would require a reduction of 0.5 fte (0.25 fte each for each union). The full year impact of this reduction would be £0.029m.

The risk provision is at a minimum level given the high level of savings and therefore risk inherent in the budget proposals, particularly given many successive years of high savings requirements. For this reason, any unallocated sums were added to the risk provision.